As the minutes of Saturday afternoon’s Barnstable football game ticked down, it appeared that the Raiders might rally, reducing Taunton’s roar to a whisper.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be and the Red Raiders fell 20-13 to the ferocious Taunton Tigers.

Calling the game “frustrating,” head coach Doug Crook said that the team started off well, but then struggled with Taunton’s ground game.

Barnstable was able to hit the scoreboard first when quarterback D.J. Crook threw a successful 30-yard pass down the middle to John Gomes, before finding Gomes open again in the end zone in the next play, giving Barnstable a 6-0 lead in the first quarter.

Then the struggle began. It seemed that the Raiders might tie the game in the final minutes of the first half when Isaiah Voegeli grabbed a reverse handoff from Crook before launching it to Jeff Edwards, who carried the ball to the Taunton 18 for a much-needed 49-yard gain.

Then Crook was intercepted at the goal line, his third interception of the half. Taunton used the turnover to march to a 13-6 lead at the half.

“Their game play was to try to keep the ball away from our offense,” said coach Crook.

Barnstable didn’t score again until the fourth quarter when Voegeli was in the right place at the right moment. Following an impressive 61-yard parade downfield, it looked as though Taunton’s Devi Decourcey was set to intercept a pass. Instead, it bounced off Decourcey’s chest and into the arms of a well-placed Voegeli for the Raiders’ second TD of the game.

With the ball back in Raider hands, the rally was staged. With less than two minutes on the clock and a first down on Taunton’s 23-yard line, Crook lobbed a pass that was picked off with 1:08 left, giving the win to the Tigers.

“We moved the ball all day long,” said coach Crook. “We had that reverse pass that we gained 50 yards on, then DJ threw a pass that was picked off in the last play of the game.”

According to Crook, his team is still finding its footing following this season’s restructuring.

“We still have to learn to play our game,” said Crook, noting past struggles with Taunton and Dartmouth. “We’re making progress but we haven’t found our identity yet. We’re getting there.”

Crook was quick to point out that the team’s record could be worse, given that this is something of a regrouping year.

“We could be six and one right now, but we also could be one and six,” he said. “We know we can play anybody in the league, we’ve just gotta do it.”

Although injuries have plagued the team, the latest being Mike Holmes who suffered a chin laceration on Saturday that required stitches, Crook said that his team has remained determined.

“Dennis Reddy really picked up the slack [after Brett Sullivan was injured],” said Crook. “We’re gaining a lot of experience this year. Playing a lot of sophomores.”

Unlike last season when the varsity team only won two games overall and the JV team won none, this year’s teams are seeing greater success.

“Our JV team this year is 3-2 right now, and our varsity has won three games,” said Crook. “I’m proud of the kids’ attitudes. We’re having a good time; they’re having a good time.”

Crook most appreciates that his players don’t quit.

“We’re into it until the end,” he said. “They’re not giving up.”

The team faces Bridgewater-Raynham at B-R tonight, with their final home game being the infamous Thanksgiving Day game against Falmouth, which last year’s team won. When asked if his team was psyched for the Falmouth match, Crook was emphatic.

“Absolutely,” he said. “The kids will always be excited for Falmouth.”